PanamaJack
28-07-2008, 11:51
I suppose the first question for a number of you will be what’s a Fantasy Slam, or for that matter any of the other fishing ‘Slams’?
There’re, in Sportfishing parlance, a Grand and a Super Grand as well. And they represent an angler, or a boat, taking specimens of three (Grand), four (Super Grand) or five (Fantasy) billfish species in a single day. The ‘common’ species are the Blue Marlin, Sailfish and Broadbill Swordfish with, in the Atlantic, White Marlin and two Spearfish – Longbill or Mediterranean – and in the Indo/Pacific the Shortbill Spearfish and Black & Striped Marlin to aim for.
Those terms as well seem now to be applied to Tuna species and certain groupings of inshore species – alas none for our North East Atlantic species.
So ‘Grand Slams’? Although any number of our Club members have recorded Grand Slams – including one where Denis Froud caught a Longbill Spearfish, a White and a ‘grander’ (1000lb plus) Blue Marlin from Ascension Island (he also had an abortive strike from a Sailfish that day) - it’s something I’m still trying for. Two species is the best I’ve managed.
But as you get to Super Grands and Fantasies it patently gets much, much harder. In fact when you get to Fantasies you can count them collectively, globally, either individual or boat ones on the fingers of one hand. And the two places that they have been recorded are Kenya and Venezuela.
The latest Fantasy – a boat one – was recorded off the Venezuelan coast on 3rd May 2008 aboard the 65 foot Rybovich, Coral C, skippered by Erik Johanson; the anglers being, the boat owner, Chris Berian and his friend Russ Wright.
First they released a ‘double header’ – two fish hooked up at once – of Sailfish, followed by another ‘double header’ – a Spearfish and a Blue Marlin. That gave them their Grand Slam.
They then moved location and hooked up two White Marlin (another double header), releasing one. Now they had recorded their Super Grand Slam.
So they then immediately focused on fishing for a Swordfish, somewhat more specialised. Rather than surface trolling, using rocks purloined from another boat as weights, they started deep dropping. There were no bites at the first mark. They moved half a mile and, after 30 minutes, got their Broadbill, a 156 pounder.
There’re, in Sportfishing parlance, a Grand and a Super Grand as well. And they represent an angler, or a boat, taking specimens of three (Grand), four (Super Grand) or five (Fantasy) billfish species in a single day. The ‘common’ species are the Blue Marlin, Sailfish and Broadbill Swordfish with, in the Atlantic, White Marlin and two Spearfish – Longbill or Mediterranean – and in the Indo/Pacific the Shortbill Spearfish and Black & Striped Marlin to aim for.
Those terms as well seem now to be applied to Tuna species and certain groupings of inshore species – alas none for our North East Atlantic species.
So ‘Grand Slams’? Although any number of our Club members have recorded Grand Slams – including one where Denis Froud caught a Longbill Spearfish, a White and a ‘grander’ (1000lb plus) Blue Marlin from Ascension Island (he also had an abortive strike from a Sailfish that day) - it’s something I’m still trying for. Two species is the best I’ve managed.
But as you get to Super Grands and Fantasies it patently gets much, much harder. In fact when you get to Fantasies you can count them collectively, globally, either individual or boat ones on the fingers of one hand. And the two places that they have been recorded are Kenya and Venezuela.
The latest Fantasy – a boat one – was recorded off the Venezuelan coast on 3rd May 2008 aboard the 65 foot Rybovich, Coral C, skippered by Erik Johanson; the anglers being, the boat owner, Chris Berian and his friend Russ Wright.
First they released a ‘double header’ – two fish hooked up at once – of Sailfish, followed by another ‘double header’ – a Spearfish and a Blue Marlin. That gave them their Grand Slam.
They then moved location and hooked up two White Marlin (another double header), releasing one. Now they had recorded their Super Grand Slam.
So they then immediately focused on fishing for a Swordfish, somewhat more specialised. Rather than surface trolling, using rocks purloined from another boat as weights, they started deep dropping. There were no bites at the first mark. They moved half a mile and, after 30 minutes, got their Broadbill, a 156 pounder.